


Your Colors in Eternal Midnight

by FionasEmbrace



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: Age Difference, Aged-Up Hiro, Alternate Universe, Customer!Hiro, Kreihiro, M/M, Sleazy car dealership manager!Krei, semi-realistic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-07
Updated: 2016-03-07
Packaged: 2018-05-25 07:17:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6185602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FionasEmbrace/pseuds/FionasEmbrace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This dealership, a large lot decorated throughout by garish red, white and blue balloons, was in this bedroom community around an hour out of San Fransokyo city. And when he got there, the nicely pressed, pinstripe suit of the Toyota dealer caught his attention the minute he stepped onto the lot. Hiro hated dealing with these types. Was there anything, anything in the world worse than a new car salesman?</p><p>"So, what's it gonna take, to put you in front of the wheel of this brand new Toyota?"</p><p>Well. A used car salesman, maybe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hiro is of age to drive and legally buy a car in this story, so his age is over 18. Wow there's like, nothing 'wrong' with this story.

"I'd like to speak to the manager, please." He glanced at the clock. 

Like he would come all the way here just to back down. "And, no, I am not going to pay a _delivery transaction fee_. I can go down the street, and guess what- they'll waive it, it's their advertised pricing and everything." 

Now, he regretted how long he'd been here. He knew she was only repeating their policy.

He looked around. This wasn't Vegas. No, their slow days were _slow_. There was Hiro, a couple, and one other man quickly shaping up to be a likely walk-off. This dealership, a large lot decorated throughout by garish red, white and blue balloons, was in this bedroom community around an hour out of San Fransokyo city. It wasn't every day Hiro found himself this far away from the college campus, far away from the pier, all the way out in the 'burbs. There were some workers in the high-tech field who lived here and commuted in, but they were in the minority. This area was just so removed from the bustle of the city. And, from Silicon Valley. 

Compared to his home, it was much more slowed-down and white; felt much more like Middle America. Why come all the way out here, then? He'd crossed county lines. That was why.

The sales tax rate here was just _ever so slightly_ lower. 

"This fee is standard with all revisions of this model."

The difference was peanuts for ordinary purchases. But for something like a car, it added up to something significant. It went even further than that- cars sold in certain zip codes are priced differently from others, independently of which county they fall under. Being a clever kid, he'd worked out the math and came in armed with it.

"Sure. Fine. I fail to see why that means I should pay it." The woman, unfazed by Hiro's voice, heard this sort of thing all the time. Hiro heard the shuffling of pieces of paper in the back room, and footsteps, but ignored it as there'd been at least some activity in there the whole time.

Finally, a man emerged from the entranceway behind the counter. "How's everybody doing?"

He repeated himself in front of his new audience. "I asked to speak to the manager, please."

"I am the manager." He held out his arms in a sort of smug 'right here' gesture. 

This blond gentleman wore a muted green button-up shirt and colorful tie with no suitcoat. He looked about the median age as the other employees here- given the salespeople were all chummy with each other, it was hard to pick apart any kind of seniority. He had, like all the others, a shiny gold pin and a nametag.

"I was discussing with your associate, the presence of a _delivery transaction fee_ on this sample invoice-" He pointed at the printed piece of paper. Seeing sample invoices was an incredibly very rare thing indeed for a dealership, but their web site started providing them after some customer feedback indicated they were a heavy influencer of a decision to buy. Prospective customers could fill out their online form, and see an instant itemization of the costs.

"That fee can sometimes get waived. It depends on a lot of things-" He appeared to be enumerating different factors in his head. "-the model of the car, the mechanism used to get the inventory-"

"I know," he interrupted.

"Care to let me know what's the model you're looking at? And we can go from there."

Hiro figured this was just going around in circles getting nowhere, and he'd have the exact same conversation with this asshole and then eventually walk out. Maybe it was worth a shot, though. "It's this one." He showed the man a familiar listing from this dealership, on his phone.

"Nice! Zeel RS." 

Ever since he'd moved away to campus to complete his degree, he lost access to Cass's car for commuting. Just as well, since she never appreciated his _driving technique_. Thereby, finding himself moving from one cobbled-together beater or 'project' car to another. Much as he loved working on these project cars, they lacked for fuel efficiency. And safety, honestly. If he ever wanted to shop in the nice part of town or get laid at some point, he'd need something less shady. Hiro had already made his mind up on this model. Knowing how much these cars were a commodity, all the remained now was where to make the transaction.

The Toyota Zeel was their all-new class of lightweight sports sedans, with a hatchback variation supposedly available in Europe. It had tight control and good poke for its fuel consumption- becoming a popular choice around here, since it was, unlike most actual sport vehicles, high enough off the ground to cope with the steep grades and hilly landscapes common in the Bay area. 

As a matter of fact, he'd been here, to this dealership before. He recognized the man and a few of the associates, too.

"'ve you come out and seen this car, yet?" It was clear. Pretty sleazy; the man was just trying to sidestep talking about the fee, but Hiro didn't care to keep chasing it down just yet. He could still always walk.

"Yeah. I wouldn't mind seeing it again, though."

He politely held the door for Hiro as they headed outside into the lot. Past the SUVs, past some of last year's models. Finally, here it was. The same blue paint job he remembered. "Oh." The man extended out his hand. "My name's Alistair Krei, by the way." The nametag left it as _Al W Krei_.

"Nice to meet you."

How handsome, and charismatic the man was- it changed nothing. There was nothing in the world Hiro hated more than dealing with these types. Was there anything, anything in the world worse than a new car salesman?

"Likewise, Mr. Hamada!" He gestured toward it. "So, what's it gonna take, to put you in front of the wheel of this brand new Toyota?"

Well. A used car salesman, maybe.

"I really had my hopes set on the Standard edition. Not the Rally-Sport one, but it's alright."

"We _could_ place another one on back-order, but it'll take a few weeks. See, our backlog just keeps growing, this whole season's been busy for us."

"No, that's fine."

"How'd you feel about taking it out for a test drive?"

Although he had indeed seen it twice, and driven a friend's once, he'd not yet driven this particular vehicle before. True, there could be slight differences from one unit to another. "Yeah. I'd like that."

"Let me go inside, and see who's available. And if you don't mind, we'll have you fill out some quick paperwork, then we'll be on our way." Back in the dealership lobby, Krei disappeared to the back, talking quietly with some of the other sales associates. It seemed that the woman from before was back there too. Hiro spoke with the receptionist, who handed Hiro a clipboard with a standard three-page form on carbon paper.

"If I could just see your driver's license, please," she said. Hiro fished the card out of his wallet and handed it to her. He knew when people were actually just reading it for his age, even when it was none of their business. 

"This your first car?"

Hiro smiled and shrugged. "Prefer not to say."

She pulled up a small computer screen and showed it to him. "While you're doing that, could I verify we have the correct spelling of your name?"

"Oh. It's Hamada, not Himada. All A's."

"Ah." While he got to work on the forms- name, address, emergency contacts- he heard the bells on the door ring behind him. It was yet another one of the salespeople, this man, for some reason wearing a cowboy hat. He beelined for the back room, and slapped the top of the doorway as he headed in. Hiro never liked these sorts of forms where he had to fill out the exact same information multiple times. One was, he supposed, for the dealership- one was for insurance- and one was for some sort of government compliance. Still. And one would think they'd have digitized by now. Hiro was more computer-savvy than the average person, but still- what year was it?

"And an autograph here, please."

He heard "Al! You son of a gun!" in the other room, from the man in the ten-gallon hat. He was hearing the middle of their other banter, while he waited, that he recognized to be about Fantasy Football. Then, their voices lowered while they talked business. Hiro placed the clipboard back on the desk, while the woman came back from photocopying his license. Finally, Krei emerged from the back room, chuckling and straightening his tie.

"Looks like I'll be riding along for your test drive. What do you say, buddy?" He very lightly punched Hiro on the shoulder. _Buddy_? Really? "Sound good?"

Truthfully, the quicker he could get out of this office, the better. Krei tossed the keys to him on the way out, and Hiro sat himself in the driver's side, Krei in the passenger's side with the clipboard, and they put on their seatbelts. 

Hiro fell into the seat, and needed to really adjust all the mirrors. Even now, he wasn't that much for height. It normally didn't get to him, but here everyone seemed to tower over him. He'd never be as tall as Krei, say- he was just built small. And, the seatbelt only seemed to accentuate how slim and flat his body was. Oh well. Glancing down, the seat still was too low. He felt around for the adjuster. The man looked over, and saw the problem Hiro was having.

"Oh. Pardon my reach-" Hiro felt the man ever-so-confidently reach over his lap, the sleeve barely grazing him, and found the seat adjuster on the side of his chair. It was electric, just like he'd expect. Krei barely had to futz with it before the seat started raising up and became a lot more comfortable. He felt his cheeks grow hot all of a sudden. "Better?"

"Mm-hm."

"Then-" He sat back down his the passenger's seat, moving his own seat back a little to accommodate his long legs, and kept the clipboard on his lap. "Whenever you're ready."

He checked the mirror, slithered them through the overpacked dealer lot and they were off. 

Through the commercial district, past a couple strip malls, over some residential streets with an unused rail crossing. The weather was clear today, so visibility and breaking distance were good and representative. Hiro cruised through at a good clip knowing enforcement was sparse here. Everything was so straightforward. Driving in San Fransokyo was enough to break any person in, and harden a driver to the most chaotic of traffic ecosystems. 

They crossed past a nature conservation area with a historical placard on the front and scattered cars parked to the side, then came to an abrupt bend in the road. Krei glanced around, expecting Hiro to brake more for the turn. Or, _at all_. Finally, Hiro pulled the handbrake and hand-over-hand steered. Oh, no. Sure enough, they made the turn, and just barely missed swinging into the oncoming lane.

Krei panickedly took hold of the grab-handle.

Such a maneuver was extremely frowned upon for a test drive. There was a judgment call, though, involving how important was making the sale. Krei let go of the handle, leaned back and caught his breath. He spoke to Hiro to cut the anxiety.

"You from around here?"

"I'm from San Fran." Somehow, he figured.

"Ah." Krei straightened his back against the chair.

They re-entered the town center. Still nothing on driving in San Fransokyo. From the dense groups of jaywalking pedestrians to the narrow lanes and heavy traffic, non-existent parking, and those impossible grades made famous by Lombard street, driving in the city was actually really ill-advisable. Still, a necessary fact of life. 

"Work's good? Or, uh... school?" Didn't snoop on that driver's license copy.

"I should be getting my PhD this summer, fingers crossed."

He could tell what made Krei nervous. Every so often, the man would tense up, and grab his clipboard a little bit more tightly. It'd start if he hit the brakes too hard, or follow too closely. Then, after the situation had alleviated, let go again. This amused Hiro a little bit and it reminded him of some of his earlier driving experiences with a certain _passenger_ and those memories were painful and now he'd gone and reminded himself of it. _Let's not do that today_. How about _minding the road_ , he told himself.

"That's terrific. My nephew's getting his masters too, probably where you are, at SFIT."

"Oh, what major?"

They talked about the nephew's studies here and abroad, and the possibility of Hiro ever crossing paths with him. As it happened, they didn't know each other. There were a lot of people at SFIT, and Hiro's program- robotics- was in a completely different faculty, and he knew the name of that program- _Digital Information Entrepreneurship_ \- but little else about it. In honesty, it didn't interest him that much, but he wanted to know more about Krei. Where he was from, what was he doing before this, and for how long he was working here. It interested him. It helped ease his nerves, and the undesirable feeling that crept up whenever he got reminded of one of his earlier cars.

Or rather, keeping his mind on something other than that. "You married?" Hiro asked.

He glanced over in surprise, off-put by the question, but wasn't one to be abrasive with a potential customer. "Ah- divorced." Hiro half-thought of making some ' _women, am I right?_ ' joke, and thought better on it, even if it was made ironically.

Now, Krei didn't appreciate some of the finer points of Hiro's driving. Cruising through a tight corner at a rather high speed, screeching the tires, he again took hold of the grab-handle attached to the roof on his side, and shifted around a bit uncomfortably as Hiro crept up on twice-the-speed-limit on a straightaway. 

"You like to _go, go, go_ , huh?" he said, in spite of the sweat forming on his brow.

Hiro grinned and did a hand-over-hand steering maneuver, barely missing clipping the corner on account of the speed. "Yeah."

"Seems like you've got yourself a good feeling for the gears."

"Well, I should." He knew he shouldn't volunteer his personal hobbies. He really shouldn't. It was impossible to resist. "I've worked with cars like this one before." He glanced at the man. "I do some modding for rally-car races."

"Modding?!"

"Some transmission work, some suspension adjustment, some cosmetic stuff. A bit of everything."

"Knew it. See. I knew you were one of the clever ones." Besides from the PhD. Couldn't tell- was he being genuine? Or still, laying it on thick?

"Anyway, I'm really keen on this model, because it'll work well for a personal project I've got going."

"What's the project, if you don't mind me asking? For the JAS league, dare I ask?" JAS was a well-known underground rally-car sport league, with a _reputation_. 

"Can't say. Sorry."

"Then, you'll be glad to know that a lot of folks choose these, for the accessibility of the components."

They'd escaped the one-story-zoned city for farms, trees and far-off hills. Hiro glanced around, and they'd found themselves on a rural route headed further east. Until now, and on Hiro's way out of the city, he'd passed numerous fruit farms worked by immigrant labor. Here, it shifted into more mountainous terrain with hard rock, making it less ideal for farms. Out in the distance, one could certainly no longer see the San Fransokyo skyline. 

Krei said, "This'd be a good time to turn around." He smiled. "Unless you got something to do in Nevada."

Hiro geared down, and started keeping his eyes open for a good spot. "What, you don't want to swing by Lake Tahoe?" He noticed a driveway into a wooded area, and pulled in there. There were tall, west-coast style trees forming a dense canopy. The road was paved but fallen into disuse. This choice of a turnaround spot was regrettable, since it could just as well induce that bit of extra wear on the otherwise-new car. Oh well, too late. It was still better than turning around on the rural route which wound around some forests, no visibility around corners. Where someone cruising along at 60 could come up and clip him. 

Where the one-lane road ended, the dense forest continued, and they could clearly see what this was a pull-away _for_. There was an old, abandoned wooden cabin in shambles, the metal mailbox laying on its side. There was a mid-sized oak growing through the middle. 

"How're we feeling, so far?"

Putting the car in park, he'd hoped to get a feel for the parking break, so he tried that too. Glancing around, he said, "I wanted to say, I like the interior."

The man could finally relax his posture now that they could sit comfortably, safely, at zero miles per hour. "Can I be real with you, Hiro, man to man?"

"What?"

"Don't lie, okay? If you don't want this one, that's fine, but let's stop bullshitting each other. If it's not _the one_ , that's fine. We can go back to the lot, and either get a different one or cut our losses. Either way, that's fine. Let's not waste your time. Or mine."

"What, you're not enjoying this little joyride?"

"I think a test drive is valuable. It's- you know what I mean." The way Hiro was looking at him made him feel ill at ease, somehow. "I'm getting mixed messages about how this demo is going." He'd encountered these types before, and at the back of his mind, suspected Hiro may be one of them. The type to just take dealership cars out for an afternoon joyride, and not be a serious buyer, if his driving technique, flippant attitude and college student dress code was any indication.

"My big hang-up-" Hiro looked down at the steering wheel- "is being nickel-and-dimed by you guys, big time, right at the last minute. The acquisition fee, the delivery surcharge made me nervous."

"Well, we don't want you to be nervous!" As the man said this, it sounded a little bit patronizing, as if he hadn't been expecting Hiro to speak so eloquently about anything related to this transaction. Probably, on account of his age. One would think all the car modding work would have counted for _something_ in terms of being taken seriously. "What if- and I'm really gonna have to push for this, here, the people upstairs aren't gonna like it- we were to waive all of the fees". 

"All of them?"

"Except, of course, sales tax, and the licensing fee. The end-customer always pays the licensing fee. It's very standard."

"I'll pay you the exact list price." That was, as they both knew- a nice, even, round number. Nothing more.

"Sorry. No can do. But, I could definitely see a kid like you in-"

Hiro rolled his eyes. Like he wasn't expecting to hear these cheesy lines before. He fired back with, "Going down the street, for a brand new Ford?"

At that, Krei dropped his clipboard on his lap and frowned. "You wanna go over to Fairfield?" A weird demo half hour until close, fine. Any other dealership, sure. But, that one? Out of all the dealers in town? The one that used to be called _Yama Auto Brokers_? "Let them get you to sign one of their blank purchase orders? Let them rip you off?" It struck a nerve. "Sure. Okay. Be my guest," he told Hiro.

"I was hoping it wouldn't come to that."

"You're asking for that price, and I'm telling you, we can't do it."

" _Can't_ , or won't?"

"Same difference." This was now a game of Krei's patience was starting to wear thin, and him trying his utmost to hide it. The man looked out the window. Somehow, he felt trapped with this kid, given it was becoming a sink for his time. "I think this'd be a good time to head back, wouldn't you say?"

"I can pay you all in cash."

"What kind of shady-" He stopped himself. The cash was incredibly tempting. The salespeople could jig it so it was mostly under-the-table, no paper trail, the dealership didn't even need to pay any tax on the transaction. "Nevermind."

"You really want to make this sale, don't you?"

"For sure, Hiro. That's my job."

"What if, say-" Hiro casually unbuckled his seat belt, and leaned over. "I do something for you." The air suddenly felt thin. "And you'd do that for me."

He glanced at the scrawny teenager closing in on him. Scooting over against the gear shift. Bracing his hand on the glove box. And then- "N-now, wait a minute."

"Wait for what?"

Wasn't it obvious?

When Hiro put his hand on the man's knee, suggestively, he started back a bit. "I- um- I'm mainly into women, if you must know." The implication would make more sense to him, if Hiro was an attractive woman. Maybe a hot soccer mom; Krei would be more than okay with that. Hiro looked at him, picturing, besides that, the full extent of this car dealer's ordinary tastes and the likelihood of how his former marriage played out. "And you're- how old?"

How quickly he'd gone from so buttoned-up, in complete control of the sale- to suddenly feeling very weirded-out and vulnerable. This car salesman considered himself straight as an arrow. As straight as the pinstripes on his suit. Then, why-?

"This is completely, totally _nuts_ -"

"You want to make the sale, right?" Krei, flabbergasted, looked at him, trying to get a read. 

"Let me state some facts for you. One, it's four-thirty PM. Two, it's a Friday. Three, we both know the newer model's release-to-market date falls next week. People are going to be swarming to that, not this one. Let's face it. You're not moving this car today, not tomorrow, and most likely not even by the end of the month. But you _do_ have a lot of inventory, and it _is_ burning a hole in your pocket. Head office wants you to move this car. Regardless of what I pay, there's a fuck ton of cash from _them_ in it, if you do."

He smiled uncomfortably. "What an insightful young man-"

"And that's not all. I'm willing to stick with you guys, and not the dealer down the street. Even though they have offered me their business, and they made it clear to me they will undercut you. Why? Because, I like you, Mr. Krei. And I think we could work out a deal with each other." There was something suggestive in how he said it. "All you gotta do is look at the numbers. It's clear as anything. As someone who understands math, there can literally be no other reason I would do it."

"Well, I'm flattered, but this is just- don't you see? How it just _don't work_? And even if, supposed it did- I could get fired for even-" It didn't need to be said. That this would be entirely on the 'down low', never to surface with Krei's direct report or the dealership corporate management. "Sir- um, Mr. Hamada-" He wasn't sure what to make of the teenage boy's hand, still on his leg.

"How about, just, 'Hiro'".

"Okay, Hiro, then- how on earth does someone your age get the idea of trying something like this? I know you've got your license, you can sign for everything and all that. But you're still just a child."

"You think so."

He leaned away from Hiro and chuckled, nervously. "Wait 'til you get older, and jaded like me, then you'll see." 

Hiro continued to close in, and followed through with a seductive whisper inches from the man's face. "A child you're trying to swindle out of a bunch of money. Am I right?"


	2. Chapter 2

"W-well- that's different!" He recoiled at the insinuation. "I'm not trying to _swindle_ anybody. I'm trying to run a legitimate business, under every legal, ethical system we're accountable to. That's more than I can say for you, what with all the back-alley rally sport racing, illegal betting!"

"Is that any way to talk to a potential paying customer?" Hiro didn't deny anything. He touched the side of the man's face affectionately, and pressed his lips against Krei's neck. 

He shivered. "Uh, it's not. I apologize." In recent years, he'd been through a lot working here. Belligerent customers, people making unreasonable demands. This might have just taken the cake, though. How quickly, this evolved from a routine sale, the exact same day-in, day-out process for the exact same tier of car for all of the dwindling number of twentysomethings who could afford it- to finding himself in such a compromising position. He really needed to regain control of this situation, somehow.

But, how?

He blinked. Because, in that same moment, he found himself leering at Hiro. No, he'd never do that. Would he? He didn't mean to; it just _happened_. Would he do that? It was curious, how you'd never _see_ guys like that in this city. Maybe the way Hiro dressed- this ultra-fitted shirt, skinny jeans- was more typical over in SF. 

This was something of a huge difference between there and here. Here, nobody could get away with looking so _delicate_ like that. Usually any boy that skinny would try to change it or hide it. And then there was his soft hair, in desperate need of a haircut. He normally identified types like these as 'emo' or 'scene kids' regardless of whether it was accurate to them. That 'look' was becoming more and more common around urban centers, even if it had yet to gain traction out here.

"Look. If this one doesn't work, we could always try a Journey, or a new Lanta- I think it could be a good fit-" Krei said.

Even when those types of teenagers stopped by the dealership, usually from the inner SF city, usually _not_ the one buying- he paid them no mind. They were this peculiar, otherworldly creature that Krei never saw up close. Now, finding himself nicely seated on the man's lap. In Hiro's delicate features and wiry body, was there any denying- there was something oddly attractive about it? Just in an aesthetic sense. At least, _fascinating_. His mind started to wander, imagining holding someone so slender and with such alluring, delicate features- features he might normally identify as feminine- and confuse the issue. He wondered if he could even close his fingers around Hiro's bicep. Or how little body hair he had, if his smooth arms and face were any indication.

"Not convinced."

In that moment when he was halfway to a kiss from the man on the mouth, it didn't matter how many years he had on him or that 'new car smell' or the fact this man had spent literally his entire life hustling new Toyotas at 0% APR, spent his whole life pursuing small-town women, or _the fact he tasted like money_. Even when it was clear what this man's priorities were, Hiro felt confident of himself- in part because of how damn cute he felt with those huge hands could splay around his waist and chest.

"So, that settles it." Hiro energetically returned to center himself on his seat, away from the salesman, and went back to _business as usual_ as if that was the natural conclusion. As if literally none of that had just happened. He casually reached for his seat belt.

"Wait! Um-" he sat up. Hiro stopped short of buckling the seatbelt, but he was nonetheless positioned to get going. Hiro felt Krei's hand on his, by the seatbelt. "C'mere." 

Hiro smiled at how much better that sounded, about to pull himself back into the man's lap just like before. He didn't have to.

He didn't in a million years think Krei would make the first move. Pinned between Krei and the car seat, Hiro relaxed against the headrest and pulled the tall man's body close, eclipsed in the car seat. Krei could even move further in, crowding the space between him and the steering wheel- damn. All that physical awkwardness, over one kiss. With the ignition off. With both their eyes shut. 

Yeah, so, maybe he was getting utterly sleazed out of a bunch of his race winnings. Who could say if Krei was the real deal, or if he wasn't? 

He could find out, one way or another. 

Sliding out of his jacket he felt the thinness of his T-shirt against the man's tie. When he pressed his lips against the salesman's collar, he took Krei's hand and moved it from the seat edge, to somewhere more productive. 

"Jesus." The man's eyes shot open- as he realized he'd given some kid a hard-on. This was all crashing down on him, and _fast_. "You're fuckin' serious about this, huh."

"I can tell, when you're looking. Maybe you're straight, or whatever, but you totally were."

"Was not."

"Figures, getting the eye from some nasty two-bit car hustler." He slipped his fingers down the man's hip and petted _it_ through the dress pants, even if it wasn't fully hard. He'd be lying if he said those little verbal slams didn't do _something_ for him. The man let out a gasp and tensed up from those little fingers copping a feel and this was the strangest thing, something he'd never expect to happen on this or any shift.

"Jesus christ..."

"You wanna move to the back?" Hiro pointed his chin toward the back seats. Krei nodded, at the same time hating himself a little. There was a little voice somewhere telling him this _wasn't worth it_. But, what if it was? 

"One sec- lemme show you something." He reached over by Hiro's hip and pressed the button to let the drivers' seat down, and move it back.

It went pretty far.

So when the salesman climbed on top of him and closed in for this hot kiss, he completely covered Hiro's body and it felt like actual sex. Hiro grabbed the back of Krei's neck and pulled him in. One thing that seemed interesting to Hiro, was that Krei wasn't all about getting between his legs, even in this position. It told him that he wasn't making assumptions about who was a _top_ or _bottom_ or whatever one would call it, or exactly what sort of penetrative act they were simulating. Or, Krei didn't know what the hell he was doing.

That neat tie was just asking for it. Hiro especially liked to grope and pull at the car salesman's tie, an easy way to get closer. He didn't even mind the awkwardness of the space, or the sharp pin on the man's breast pocket. He didn't mind how much Krei belonged to one of _those_ occupations. Lawyers, politicians, real estate agents- of course, the scum of the earth his late brother always complained about. This pointy-nosed man he had no business with, with a good too many years on Hiro, that had no trouble _getting fresh_ with some kid if it meant closing a sale.

When Hiro unbuttoned his jeans, he put Krei's hand on his dick and Krei kissed his neck and it gave him shivers. He had a lot more confidence doing that than the other couple of things Hiro was planning. He just couldn't get over how _small_ Hiro felt in his hands, and under his body. Sure, the possibility of sex always made him feel like some alpha badass, at least momentarily- but this was different. It was understood between them that he could easily overpower Hiro, toss him around or snap him in half. What a weird inversion of nature that today he was simply trying to sell him a car. 

He'd be nothing short of a perfect gentleman. The main objective, of course, was showing Hiro a good time. Hiro unzipped his fly and pulled it out and put Krei's hand on it and it was hard to believe this was really happening. Krei asked, "What do you want? Do you want me to blow you?"

"Yeah." 

Well, okay. He pinned his hands on either side of Hiro and gently relocated himself downward. It intimidated him a little. The honest truth was, he was expecting a cute little dick on such a cute young man. That seemed logical. Not biologically sound, but logical. As for this- it wasn't bigger than his own, but a bit more than he bargained for. He had almost zero pubes, so that part matched expectation. Tentatively he started to lick the tip, and take a tiny part of it in his mouth. It wasn't terribly skilled. Hiro slid one pantleg of his jeans off and thrust his hips into Krei's face. The man was a bit startled at how deep it went, but kept at it- he tried to do all the things 'right'. He took nearly all of it in his throat. He slid his tongue along the bottom. He looked up at Hiro. He felt up his body. And fondled the balls. Before long it was good and wet and Hiro looked so fucking beautiful when he was getting off, writhing around in pleasure, he forgot why he had any hang-ups about this. 

It was good. Hiro lazed back into the seat giving a blissful sigh, and raised his knees up, apart, beside Krei's head. Not bad. Still, it was clear he was unused to performing oral sex on this genital configuration. It was clear when someone had never sucked a dick before. From here, Hiro doubted it'd be enough to get all the way off. More than that, it was a huge waste to not fully put Krei to good use. He touched Krei's shoulder. "Can we try something?" He looked at Hiro, curiously. "Let's trade places."

Figuring it was nothing more than Hiro wanting to return the favor, and too hot and bothered to have any hang-ups about it, he pulled away so that Hiro could gracefully slip out, and sat where Hiro was. The whole thing would have been clumsy if not for how wiry and nimble Hiro was, and how easily he could move about the limited space. Except, Hiro didn't get down to blow him. Krei watched him casually sit and straddle his lap, and bend down and kiss him. So he could put his little hands on Krei's shoulders. So the man's cock nestled very naturally between his ass, and it felt a little _too_ raw. Now, he could see why. Krei actually got a better look at that now- was Hiro wearing underwear? Well, yes and no. It was a variation of jockstrap underwear, fitted straps around his hips and thighs, covering what was important but leaving his ass all but exposed. 

"Really?" He tugged at one of the straps on Hiro's thighs. Then again, maybe this was 'the new style'. Interesting he'd only noticed it now.

"I just like how it feels, okay." The scarce bit of fabric in front couldn't contain his erection, so it was pushed to the side. Krei gulped, confused at how this would turn him on that much. And then Hiro unzipped the man's fly and pulled it out, and started grinding against it. Holy shit. It nearly penetrated, just from that.

"W- what are you doing?"

"I could see you're hard." He reached behind and grabbed it and grinded against it. "You've got a nice one. It'd be a shame to let that go to waste."

"Yeah, okay, but-"

"Can you do it?"

He thought about it, about as much as he needed to. "I dunno. Maybe." He looked down. "I don't have a rubber."

"I do." Hiro pulled the small, square package out from his backpack. _You devious, little..._ He thought about what could possibly be going on with Hiro, that he would intend on trying to seduce men like this. It wasn't even about the money, at this point. Probably the same itch that compelled him to take part in illegal rally car racing. Krei took it from him, and his shaky hands unwrapped it and put it on. Hiro spat into his hand and got the lubricated condom wet. And when he pressed himself down on it, Krei started, his eyes shot open and he gripped the seat. It penetrated. 

When he rode the man's lap in the seat like this, when he bent down to kiss him, when he felt those hands roaming up his back and shoulders, it felt _familiar_.

Was it some _glitch in the matrix_? Deja vu? Because, all of this- the upholstery of the seats, the appearance of the console- it reminded him, somehow, of one other vehicle he owned.

A different make, model, and color, and work history. Still the seats went down, just like this one. Built for the rugged outdoors with four-wheel drive, it wasn't suitable for the rally races. But it was superb in most anything else. It could take him up into the mountains during skiing season. It could weather huge potholes or dirt roads. And then, top-notch engine and fuel efficiency. Basically, he was ready to fucking die in that car. 

He went at it _hard_. It felt too good not to. Hiro gripped the man's shoulders, and changed the angle, and he now felt it thrusting up from under him, even saving him some of the work.

With his shirt slid up like that, revealing pale skin and how slender he was, Krei partly felt like a dirty man. It felt unnatural to shove his dick into someone so oddly beautiful. Even when he himself was probably also being exploited. Surely, all this will fade, after he busts one and then tries to make the sale. Yet he wondered at it all. How Hiro could be getting off from getting fucked by a straight guy with so many years on him. Taking it like that, even against all odds- it shouldn't even fit inside his cute little body. It was unbelievable watching his young customer like this. He hoped it wasn't damaging. And he loved watching it. Getting split apart on his cock. Bouncing up and down in his lap. It pulled at him. It was extremely tight. Krei looked away, and then full-on screwed his eyes shut. 

Once in a while, Hiro thought about the events leading up to him moving out. He thought there'd come a time where all those words, all those things people said to him, weren't so fresh in his mind. Okay, so, it hadn't happened yet. Since then, after the fiery crash, he had to clear away the old things from that side of the room. And what he lost in that crash was actually gone.

No one told him how to find it.

When he went faster, Krei couldn't take anymore. He gasped in turmoil of whether to pull Hiro in or push him away, for fear of cumming too soon. He begged Hiro to slow down, or else. Finally the choice was made for him. This shouldn't be possible. 

It shouldn't be _this_ good. 

He came from fucking Hiro, creaming a full load of semen up into his young customer, even if it was blocked off. It didn't make any mess. Krei wished he could last longer and hoped this wasn't shaping up to be incredibly disappointing. It was more than fine by Hiro, but he assumed the worst. The man pulled Hiro's hips up to his face and sucked him off the rest of the way. Hiro was already close. It was quick. _If there ever was a next time_ , he thought, _he could make Hiro cum on his cock._ When he stashed the tied-off condom, Krei wiped the sweat and cum off of his face. 

Hiro clung to the shirt once covered by the pinstripe jacket, and felt himself sliding down. The last time, it was with someone else, and it was nothing like this. It was far more one-sided. It was rather the opposite of now, since his partner couldn't finish at all, and the whole evening ended strangely. How curious that was.

The green car was never really his. There was no mistake, he imagined what it _could_ be. How they could sneak away together, start over, and change identities. Establish this new life and go to a different college. Skip college, run off to found some startup. Hiro would do it, Tadashi would not. In fact, Tadashi ultimately wanted all of this to end. Ultimately, it did. 

Back at the dealership, the business day was nearing close and it was past the cut-off for test drives. The mechanics' shop remained open for about an hour yet, and the office for two and a half hours after that, customary to give prospective buyers a bit of extra flexibility. 

"Heading out?"

"Gotta pick up my kid." He carried his cowboy hat, now.

Half the sales team had gone home. Hiro found himself in the lobby once more, staring at the framed vintage automotive ads decorating the walls, as the receptionist photocopied the purchase order.

"Take it easy."

Hiro signed the dotted line. All-cash transaction. Their financing guy was smarmy and ruthless and normally he'd fight tooth-and-nail for a deal so close to end-of-business-day, but Hiro was adament about this just like the price, the fees, everything else. And it was, literally, cash. He counted it out. Everybody involved understood that it wasn't a hundred percent clean money. It didn't even take Krei being explicitly informed of some of Hiro's hobby activities. Either the money was illicitly obtained or there was a shady third-party lender involved. Same difference to them though.

It was so strange, Hiro thought, that he'd ended up coming all the way out here. It felt further away than it was, like he'd actually crossed into a different country. He absolutely felt like a fish out of water ever since coming in here and hearing that little chime of the door and seeing the couple of sales reps look over at him. How curious he'd ended up crossing paths with someone like that blond car dealer. That past the street lined with yard sales and the railroad tracks and that huge strip mall, nestled deep inside this foreign city, he'd be here, signing his name. 

Stroke by stroke he signed the paper. He pressed hard so it would go into the carbon. The distance to San Fransokyo reminded him, like before, of this strange vastness. It wasn't wanderlust, but that feeling one gets looking at a scale image of the Earth versus Jupiter. Every nook and cranny he discovered here, there were ten trillion others. He was reminded of the drive here.

And he could travel even more, but there was a feeling he came to have now that had never occurred to him before. It all had to do with that green car. That car was never his. Indeed, it never should have been. There were some people who were too perfect to live among the others. He knew what it was like to know everything about someone. Their daily business, their bad habits. The overwhelming similarities to himself. He never felt like he deserved something real. He never felt like he deserved better than to be haunted, always, by ghosts.

There was something here, that he needed to remember. See, this wasn't one of his video games. One made of clever routines, scripted objects, procedural levels, recycled maps. Sure the country was vast, but every corner of it had to fall far out of the ordinary. Nothing existed in such simple clockwork as in his AI routines. Looking out the window beyond one of the other sales reps' desks, it started all over again. Hiro could utterly lose himself in thoughts like these, while doing something so routine as waiting for those photocopies. At the same time as writing his name, and address. Name and address. His zip code, his phone number, for the third time.

At the corner of his eye, he saw the dealership manager return himself back to work as usual. He took a couple pieces of paper from a filing cabinet, put them on the receptionist's desk, and muttered something to her discreetly in some jargon he couldn't understand. They exchanged a quick glance before Krei returned to the back room and Hiro finished up at reception.

The money counted one last time, the receptionist gave Hiro the massive, stapled-together sales receipt and the vehicle registration. 

"And, of course, these. It's a pleasure doing business with you." 

She handed him the keys in an envelope. "Enjoy, Hiro!" He inspected the envelope more closely; there was a keyfob with a note, and a spare, plus a thank-you card. As if on cue, Krei came out from the back. The salespeople never had to bother with the actual exchanging of payment or the distribution of keys and forms, it seemed. Made sense. Krei looked different to him, than before. It was strange, them having seen each other doing something so _vulnerable_ and now, every button done up once more, that was it.

"Glad we were able to get you taken care of! Wild ride, huh?" How funny. To think, he'd forgotten what this guy's professional face looked like. "Great doing business with you." They exchanged a tense glance- where the receptionist thought there was something most unusual about it, but couldn't place what. 

Did they have a fight, during the vehicle demo? She brushed it off as nothing. 

They shook hands. 

He could hear the vents inside, the wind and traffic outside. Krei walked Hiro left through the lobby doors. He heard the man's phone go off and then he turned it to silent. As they went outside under the pavilion, one of the other associates had already driven the car up and pulled it by the curb. All ready to go. 

That metal embellishment. 

The blue paint.

And then wing shape on the back and the pattern on the grill looked just like the commercials. Hiro took off his backpack and popped the trunk. As he took it off, Krei offered, very gentlemanly- "Here, let me help with that," took the heavy backpack from him and nicely stowed it. Then they walked to the driver's side door, and he opened the door for Hiro. This was actually a pretty standard procedure for customers, if they seemed like they'd be receptive.

"You got my card?" Hiro nodded. "Don't be a stranger, feel free to call if you need anything- anything at all." Indeed, when Hiro first looked at it there were some handwritten digits on the card. "That's my direct line on it." Krei closed the door for him, stepped back, and Hiro activated the keyless ignition and glanced at the interface and odometer. Everything ready. Full tank of gas. Mileage was low. That was it. It was his.

* * *

It was early in the evening that he signed the dotted line, and the next natural thing to do was to drive it back into the city. The idea didn't appeal to him so much. Sure, he had to go back for lectures, and he made a vague promise to tutor someone in differential equations. He helped himself to a joyride around this unfamiliar area, re-tracing a couple of the routes from the vehicle demo earlier. Great, he was out of excuses. He checked his GPS. This city was small and centralized around only two or three main boulevards. 

It was simple enough to figure out where the freeway entrance was relative to here. Before committing himself to the long drive home he wanted a soda or maybe some water for the road. Seeing nothing else too promising around- only a huge clothing outlet, and an equally massive sports equipment franchise in one strip mall- he pulled into a convenience store attached to a gas station. As he walked into this gas station, he felt this rush of unexplainable confidence- he felt like he was more of a local now, somehow. He smiled at the attendant and she looked up from her magazine and said hello. He picked out a soda- of course, they had much less selection here than he was used to- and paid for it in cash, dumping the change into the 'take a penny, leave a penny'. 

When he exited, just like that there were several more cars lined up at the side with the gas station. He supposed he came in at a good time, before it got busy. He walked past them to the parking area where his- funny, now that he could call it _his_ \- car was. After a second to find the right button on the keyfob he unlocked the door, when something caught his eye. 

That pinstripe suit, minus the coat. That blond hair. It was him. Alistair Krei, the same one- he was at one of the gas station terminals fueling his own car. He supposed it wasn't that big of a coincidence. He planned his visit to the dealership right when it was about to close, and this looked to be the only gas station around. Still. He didn't even need to say anything- Krei saw him, and waved. Hiro waved back, feeling unsure whether he should call it good and get back in his car, or not. Whichever would be less weird. Krei had the nozzle locked and walked over to Hiro.

"Long time, no see!" Krei said. Obviously, it was a bit sarcastic. "How's the Zeel shaping up? Okay?"

"No complaints."

"It's been, what-" he glanced at his phone. "-an hour and fifteen minutes..." Playfully he made it look like it dawned on him, how silly it was to ask. Behind him, a massive truck pulled in and struggled to maneuver itself around an improperly parked car.

Hiro smiled. "Too soon to really know."

The gasoline nozzle clicked and stole Krei's attention. "I s'pose you've got yourself a nice drive back into the city. Weather looks clear, though. Should be an easy drive- take care."

Hiro put his wallet back into his pocket and fidgeted with the soda. "Thanks, you too." He started back to his car, while he heard Krei take the gasoline nozzle out and replace the cap, and he mused about how he'd happen upon him here.

"Say, Hiro-" He turned around, and wondered if he forgotten something. "How would you like to, um-" Krei glanced around, and cleared his throat. Shrugging his shoulders, working himself up to it, he asked, "How'd you like to get some coffee, sometime?" 

This was new.

Behind them, the truck pulled itself forward a bit, since the sedan stopped there had just moved and cleared some space. Someone else went into the convenience store.

The man was about to interpret the silence as a pretty standard 'no', and quickly drop the whole thing.

Hiro stared, flabbergasted. Sure, he'd been awkwardly hit on by a couple of his classmates, especially handsy after a night of drinking. Or he'd get some suggestive comment on his stuff over social media, implying they should get together once and see how things go. Or, he'd end up dancing with someone at some club. _Asking for dates_ , especially verbal, in person and not online, was something of a dusty practice. 

It's not like there was a sale on the line. It's not like they would ever be lined up to see each other again. No harm, no foul. 

"I'd like that."


	3. Epilogue

The diner was a bit further down the boulevard, with graffiti on the side of the building and half the letters on its sign failing to light up anymore. Most of the time there were white, blue-collar workers, uniformed, smoking outside. The gravel lot had room for maybe eight cars. Double-parking was the norm. This lot backed up onto a wooded area that isolated it from the other boulevard running parallel. The outside, like much of the places on the main street here, was in disrepair. It saw a lot of traffic and didn't have much competition. The Starbucks that opened up down the street lacked the same element of local charm. As such, it was one of the most popular dessert places in town. 

It was sunny inside, with framed photographs of landmarks and people around the city. The waitress brought them the bill with some candy mints and told them there was no rush. Krei had on a different colored, muted purple shirt, and a different tie. Work clothes on regular rotation, he figured. Hiro wondered if he should've dressed more nicely. But hell, he wouldn't be fooling anyone. 

Krei took a sip of his coffee. Hiro wiped his mouth of the last crumbs of the cherry pie. 

"Lemme get it." He patted down his pants for his brown leather wallet and pulled it out of his back pocket. He spoke over the beeping sound of a massive 18-wheeler backing up outside to refuel.

"You sure?"

"I wouldn't want you thinking I'm _nickel and diming you for some handling fee_."

Hiro smiled at him and narrowed his gaze. It was like this whenever he acknowledged some small joke between then. He wondered a little what Krei's angle was. Figure out what was behind those blue eyes and snazzy tie. Maybe, he saw Hiro as an opportunity. Maybe, he was looking for a way to drive his ex-wife crazy. He ought to ask him, sometime. The truth was, Krei didn't know how he'd explain any of this to the others back at the dealership, and hadn't planned it out that far. How far would this go? Would they find out? Would he bring Hiro in as his plus one, for their annual Christmas party? 

Suddenly he felt silly thinking about it. That was nothing in the greater scheme of things. Barring that, there were deep personal issues he was still coming to terms with. He didn't treat that day as some one-off. He was legitimately interested. This wasn't some outlet, like when the first sales associate Hiro spoke to spent three paychecks in Vegas in two days, or when the sales associate in the cowboy hat bought a rare custom motorcycle. There was so much Krei wanted to find out about Hiro, even if it was trouble, still couldn't yet bring himself to ask.

It was too important for him not to know. Eventually, he'd find out. About the details of the crash, and who was involved, Hiro's relationship to him, and why. Admittedly, Hiro wasn't really being sensible by pursuing something like this. Even if he didn't know, yet, what to call _it_ , and neither did Krei. He didn't know what to call the _thing from before_ , either. The green car, and everything it came with. He didn't want to get dragged down by something so senseless, something that couldn't be helped. He didn't want revenge, or aspects of his teenage years that he knew was put through a rose-colored filter in his own head. Some things would stay with him forever, but he had control over that.

He downed the rest of his coffee and they put on their jackets and walked past the smokers outside. The sky was clear so one could see the immense distance reaching from here back to the city. He didn't expect the streetlights to come on, just then. Someone sounded their car horn outside toward some other uncooperative traffic, and he snapped out of it. Automatically he switched his gaze at the junction, but there was nothing to see.


End file.
